6 20-0336 Subject: Salary Ordinance Amendment For Director Of Workplace & Employment Standards
From: Human Resources Management Department
Recommendation: Adopt An Ordinance Amending The Salary Schedule Of Ordinance No. 12187 C.M.S. ("Salary Ordinance") To Add The Full-Time Classification Of Director Of Workplace And Employment Standards
Oakland’s Department will enforce state and federal laws but also those unique to Oakland including our minimum wage law, emergency paid sick leave, and hotel worker protections from sexual harassment. The Department must be adequately staffed with a Chief Officer who has a strong background in labor/employment advocacy and understands this nuanced area of law to be able to effectively hire department staffing including intakes, investigators, and adjudicators. They must be able to work in collaboration with state and federal labor agencies as well as with local offices like SF's OLSE. I encourage the Mayor and City Administrator's offices to work closely with the community groups and advocates who have brought the Dept to this point to recruit and select candidates for the position of Chief Officer. Thank you in advance of your approval of this resolution to take the first step in staffing this Dept.
I support working families in Oakland, and I urge the City Council to stand up the new Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES) to uphold the rights of workers and enforce our city's labor laws. Oakland voters created this Department when we passed Measure Z with 76% of the vote in 2018. We are in a critical moment in history. We need our local government and elected leaders to step up for working people and to prioritize resources towards addressing economic inequities which are racial inequities. The city needs to prioritize funding for this Department and others that uplift the needs of our communities and advance racial and economic justice. Any funding cuts should come from OPD, not on the backs of workers. This department can be a tool for advancing justice for workers, especially workers in some of the lowest-paying jobs. Please approve items 5 & 6 on today's agenda to demonstrate your commitment to uplifting the workers that hold up our economy and community.
Oakland’s Department will enforce state and federal laws but also those unique to Oakland including our minimum wage law, emergency paid sick leave, and hotel worker protections from sexual harassment. The Department must be adequately staffed with a Chief Officer who has a strong background in labor/employment advocacy and understands this nuanced area of law to be able to effectively hire department staffing including intakes, investigators, and adjudicators. They must be able to work in collaboration with state and federal labor agencies as well as with local offices like SF's OLSE. I encourage the Mayor and City Administrator's offices to work closely with the community groups and advocates who have brought the Dept to this point to recruit and select candidates for the position of Chief Officer. Thank you in advance of your approval of this resolution to take the first step in staffing this Dept.
I support working families in Oakland, and I urge the City Council to stand up the new Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES) to uphold the rights of workers and enforce our city's labor laws. Oakland voters created this Department when we passed Measure Z with 76% of the vote in 2018. We are in a critical moment in history. We need our local government and elected leaders to step up for working people and to prioritize resources towards addressing economic inequities which are racial inequities. The city needs to prioritize funding for this Department and others that uplift the needs of our communities and advance racial and economic justice. Any funding cuts should come from OPD, not on the backs of workers. This department can be a tool for advancing justice for workers, especially workers in some of the lowest-paying jobs. Please approve items 5 & 6 on today's agenda to demonstrate your commitment to uplifting the workers that hold up our economy and community.